Annabeth hadn’t expected much drama this evening as she finished her shower, letting herself drip dry as she wrapped a towel around herself. She realized that was about to change when she stepped into the living room and found both her roommates waiting for her on the sofa. As soon as she saw them she knew they weren’t waiting to give her a fun time. “Can you come sit down please” Percy asked, standing up to gesture to the armchair.
Annabeth stood in front of her boyfriend before glancing to her best friend. “What is this?” She asked, reading the tension in the room.
“Just sit down Annie” Piper insisted, rising to her feet to stand beside Percy. Annabeth stared at them both, slowly walking over and taking a seat in the armchair. She crossed her arms and waited as the two of them stood in front of her, glancing at her nervously as they took a deep breath. “We need to talk” Piper explained.
“What about?” She asked.
“You” Percy explained. “We’ve noticed you’ve been…different.”
“Different how?”
“A little…not yourself.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Percy shifted awkwardly as he looked at Piper for support. Annabeth glanced between the two of them, deducing they’d been talking about her behind her back for a while. “We’re worried Annabeth. We think you have a problem” Piper explained compassionately.
Annabeth furrowed her brow at her, wondering what she was talking about. She gave it some quick thought and sighed. “Is this sex? Please tell that’s not what this intervention is about” she groaned. She snapped a look at Percy, reminding him “we both agreed to have an open relationship, remember. And we both promised we would be judgmental about who we chose to sleep with.”
“It’s not that” he told her. “I mean…I guess it is. But it’s not…”
“It’s not who you have sex with that’s worrying us” Piper intervened. “It’s how you’ve been convincing them to sleep with you. I think you’ve been abusing your charm-speak.”
Annabeth broke into a laugh and shook her head. “That’s absurd.”
“You have been using it more and more frequently than usual” Percy agreed. “A lot more than me or Pipes have.”
“I don’t have a problem” she insisted.
“Annie, you don’t even realize when you’re using it anymore” Piper said. “And when you do, you’re using it to manipulate everyone. You’ve used it on us too.”
Annabeth sighed, rubbing her eyes throwing her hands up. “Okay, fine, maybe I got a little carried away sometimes. But you’re making me sound like I’m some kind of junkie.”
“Charm-speak is dangerously addictive. I should know, I ended up in young offenders because of it.”
“I’m not an addict” she protested.
“That is what addicts would say” Percy mumbled. Piper quickly elbowed him before he made it worse. “Love, we’re just trying to look out for you. Piper and I have been talking and…frankly, we’re getting a little scared to be around you.”
Annabeth stared at him. “That’s a bit of an overreaction” he scoffed.
“Is it?” Piper asked. “You’ve been growing out of control for weeks. At first you would order us to do the chores, your gift slipping once or twice. But now you’re taking advantage of our friends, our family, anybody who walked up to our door. And when you lose your temper anything could happen.”
“I’ve never lost my temper with either of you” Annabeth replied.
“You made the postman who dropped your parcel leap over the fence and run headfirst into a lamppost” Percy reminded her, recalling that little incident when she finished screaming at him early in the morning.
Annabeth had forgotten about that. She hadn’t realized she’d used charm-speak until the man was curled up on the pavement outside. “Fine, I let myself slip one time..” she conceded.
“What about when you used it during the Hunters gathering? Was that a slip too?” Piper asked.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “That was a party. We were having fun.”
“You were forcing Thalia and her friends to stay awake and keep fucking you throughout the night” she argued. “I’m the daughter of a sex goddess and even I couldn’t keep up. Thal and Percy were exhausted by the time got them out.”
“And you both missed one hell of an orgy” Annabeth giggled. She looked at Percy, who didn’t share her amusement. “Seriously? I have one wild night of lesbian sex and you think I have a problem?”
“No. But Piper got really worried when you made me have sex with Nico” Percy mentioned. “And looking back, she was right. I didn’t exactly want to have sex with him.”
“But you didn’t object either” she argued. She sat forward, asking him “are you really mad about having sex with him?”
Percy’s mouth clammed up, unable to deny he came to enjoy it. Piper glare at her. “See! This is what I’m talking about. You can’t just use it like a truth serum.”
“Oh come off it Pipes” Annabeth cried, rising to her feet addressing the young woman. “You can’t say you’ve never used your powers to charm people into your bed.”
“Not against their will” she growled.
“I’ve never done that” Annabeth said.
“Haven’t you?” Piper asked, narrowing her eyes. “Not even your cousin? Magnus didn’t strike me as the type to have sex with a blood relative.”
Annabeth blinked in surprise. “We bumped into him after he left the flat” Percy told her. “He told us what happened between you.”
“He was confused, like he’d been drugged” Piper explained. “He couldn’t believe he’d fucked you in our kitchen. He was so beside himself I had use my charm-speak to calm him down and make him think it was a nightmare.”
Annabeth hadn’t realized Magnus was that distraught when he left. She swallowed and mumbled “I didn’t know.”
Piper hadn’t finished though, anger flaring in her gut making her eyes change color. “Then there was the time Percy found Rachel walking nude down the street, her body covered in bruises soaked in sweat and cum. He was worried she had been attacked.”
“I brought her back while you had gone out” Percy explained. “She told me you’d suggested she walk home after being with you. Her clothes were still in our bedroom. I saw the toys you left out, the ones she said you’d used on her?”
“She had it coming” Annabeth muttered.
“What about Sally? Did she have it coming?” Piper asked.
“I would never hurt Sally” Annabeth cried.
“You made her have sex with Percy!” Piper screamed. “You forced him to fuck his own mom! You were encouraging him to…” she could complete the sentence, her stomach churning in disgust and fury. “You’re out of control Annie. This has to stop!”
Annabeth stared at her, looking at Percy who was equally disturbed by the ordeal. She exhaled shallowly. “What exactly are you suggesting?” She asked.
Piper took a deep breath as Percy nodded to her. “It has to stop” she told her. “It’s time we gave Aphrodite back her gift.”
Annabeth stepped back in surprise, glancing to the enchanted statue on the mantle. She looked at Percy suspiciously. “Is that really what you want?” She asked.
“We said we’d try it for a few weeks” Percy reminded her, cautiously stepping towards her calmly. “But we never agreed to keep sharing this power forever.”
Annabeth scoffed. “Of course not. Sounds like you two made the decision without me” she snapped.
“We tried talking to you, but you would never listen” Piper said.
“Annabeth, we’re worried” Percy told her. “Having this gift is…it’s changed you. You haven’t been yourself.”
“I’ve been fine” she insisted. “I don’t have a problem, I’m not out of control, you’re both overreacting.”
“No we aren’t not” Piper said, getting frustrated as Annabeth kept backing away. This isn’t going to work she thought. “Annie, you knew how dangerous this power was from the start. I’ve seen what having it has done to people. The power is intoxicating, almost corruptive…”
“You’ve had this your whole life and you came out fine” Annabeth pointed out.
“And you’ve had it for a few months and you’ve gone insane” she retorted.
The blonde woman rolled her eyes, circling the living room in disbelief. She couldn’t believe she was having this argument. “This isn’t a power corrupts absolutely situation Pipes” she argued. “I’m in complete control.”
“Oh, so you meant to fuck your cousin and make Percy have sex with his mom?”
“I don’t have a problem!” She yelled. She saw Piper grimace as she clenched her fist, shaking off the charm-speak Annabeth unwittingly threw at her. She sighed. “I don’t need you looking out for me Pipes. It’s just a bit of fun.”
“It hasn’t been fun for a while Annie” Piper whispered. “We need to recount the blessing. Please.”
Annabeth fixed her stormy grey eyes on her, coldly asking “why don’t you just command me to give it up?” When Piper grit her teeth she answered “because Aphrodite said all three of us have to willingly renounce her gift. You can’t force me to give up something I don’t want to let go.”
Piper shook her head. She wouldn’t force her even if she wanted to. But if she had to use charm-speak to make her see sense, she will. “I don’t want to fight with you Annie” she pleaded.
“Could’ve fooled me” she scowled, turning her gaze to Percy. “Is this what you want? Do you really want to give up this power Percy?” She asked him.
Percy gulped uncomfortably as her charm-speak washed over him. “You don’t need to answer her” Piper interrupted, stepping between them glaring at her. “Stop it. Please” she begged, sensing the emotions rising in her friend. Betrayal, anger, jealousy, envy, disappointment.
Annabeth glared at her, and at Percy. “So what was the plan? You convince me to give this up and you go back to being the only person who can tell us what to do? The daughter of Aphrodite doesn’t what to share, correct?”
“It’s not like that” Piper replied, standing her ground as Annabeth advanced towards her. “I don’t want any more people getting hurt.”
“I’m not the bad guy Piper. Having charm-speak doesn’t make me a bad person. We’re demigods, we’re used to powers from the gods. What does it matter if we use it for a bit of fun every once in a while. And if people need a little convincing to let themselves go, then we’ll…can you really say you haven’t persuaded some people to have sex with you?” She asked. Piper felt sick as her mouth forced her to confess she had. “You see, I’m just following your example. I’m being more like you.”
Piper shook her head, scowling “actually you’re sounding more like Drew.”
Annabeth’s eyes darkened. “I am nothing like that bitch.”
“No” she agreed. “You’re becoming worse. Your becoming like mom.”
The slap came so fast Piper nearly missed it, but not before it connected to her cheek sending a sharp pain across her face. She gasped as she stared at Annabeth, rubbing the side of her face where the blonde struck her. Annabeth blinked in surprise, but didn’t apologize for hitting her. “Take that back” she growled.
Piper resisted the command, clenching her fist snarling “no. It’s true. You are insane. I guess Aphrodite was right. She didn’t think you’d ever want to give this up.”
“Both of you, enough!” Percy bellowed, unable to watch the two of them any longer. He stepped between the girls barking at them both. “This isn’t how it was supposed to go” he said.
“How was it supposed to go?” Annabeth asked. “You thought if you snap your fingers I’d just agree to whatever she wanted?”
“This isn’t about Piper. She’s just worried for you” he told her.
“She’s talking out of her backside” she laughed. “She’s been whispering poison in your ear. How do you know she hasn’t been using her charm-speak to turn you against me?” She asked suspiciously.
“I would never do that!” Piper screamed.
“How long as she been talking to you behind my back?” She queried, narrowing her eyes in paranoia. “Who was it you said I had a problem first?” She saw Percy hesitate as he glanced at her. “I thought so. You’re my boyfriend, not hers. Don’t let her come between us Percy.”
Percy felt the charm cut into his mind, disorientating him making his thoughts swim in confusion. Piper sensed it and barked “Stop this Annie!”
“How about you stop talking!” She snapped, silencing Piper as she suddenly lost her voice, leaving her the only one able to talk to Percy now. “We both know you don’t want this to end. I know you’ve been enjoying this power too. I’ve seen it. You like being in control, like me. Be honest Percy, you don’t want to give this power up, do you?”
Percy took a deep breath as he lifting his eyes, looking at Annabeth in the eye. Piper panicked as his gaze cleared, trying to scream at him but unable to. “No, I don’t” he confessed. But them he added “but I’m prepared to.”
Annabeth blinked in shock, confusion furrowing her brow. “Why?”
“Why? You have to ask?” he said. “Annabeth, you at you. Look at what you’ve become, who you’ve become. Look at what you are doing. What you’ve done. This isn’t you. This isn’t the woman I fell in love with. This power is messing with your head. You have to stop. We need to let this end.”
Annabeth stared at him. She couldn’t believe what she was hear. She shook her head in denial. “No, no, you don’t mean that. She’s gotten in your head” she stammered, pulling away from Percy while he grabbed her shoulders.
“Annabeth, I love you, but you need to see this has gone too far. You’re hurting the people we love. You’re hurting us. Piper’s right, your have a problem.”
“No, stop saying that, I’M FINE!” She screamed.
“You are not fine!” He cried, his charm-speak overriding hers. She struggled with his as he grabbed her, holding her head forcing her to look at him. “Please Annie, I need you to listen. Think about what’s happened since we got this gift. Think about what you’ve done. Is this who you want to be?”
Annabeth clawed at his hands as his words cut through her ears, forcing her to recall every questionable action she made using these powers. Was was forced to watch them flash before her eyes, staring in horror as the way she abused her friends and family. It was like she was watching someone else, a steady decline into madness and deceit. She shook her head trying to close her eyes, wailing as she finally saw what had made her two closest friends so afraid of her. She collapsed into Percy’s arms, the young man cradling her as she broke into sobs, weeping into his shoulder. He held her tightly, tears in his eyes as he tried to comfort her. “I’m a monster” she whimpered.
Percy looked at Piper, who broke into tears and fell to her knees beside them. Without her voice she opted to wrap her arms around them both, hugging them tightly. “We want to help you Annie” Percy whispered, stroking her hair. “Let us help you.”
She hesitantly nodded her head, prying her face from his shoulder as tears streamed down her face. She didn’t trust herself to speak anymore, looking to Piper apologetically. Piper silently kissed her, showing it was okay. After a moment of silence Annabeth finally acknowledged “I have a problem. I need help. It needs to end.” Percy nodded, kissing her proudly.
Moments later the marble statue Aphrodite gave a Piper as a housewarming gift was sitting on their coffee table with the three of them sitting around it. Percy used his charm-speak to return Pipers voice so the three of them could each put their hand on the statue and recount the words “oh Aphrodite, we renounce this gift.” As soon as the words were spoken the aura around the ornament evaporated and the demigods felt a weight lifting from their shoulders. Piper’s head cleared and she knew the enchantment had been removed. She turned to Annabeth and saw her exhaling a deep breath of relief, a fresh wave of tears falling down her cheeks as she turned into Percy’s arms. Piper looked up to the ceiling, hoping her mom had had her fun, before shuffling around the table to join them in a group hug.
It would be a while until the three of them recovered from this, but hopefully their relationship hadn’t been broke beyond repair as a result.
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